Assassin School
by Shattered Blue
Summary: Learn to be an Assassin!
1. Lesson 1: Dress The Part

Welcome to my new fic, Assassin School! Read and review, thanking you very muchly.  
  
Disclaimer at bottom of chapter.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 1: Dress the part.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne examined the clothes her teacher had given her. She shrugged and slipped off her tunic, contemplating maybe making some changes to the dull all-black outfit. Tight breeches, tunic and jacket over the top, with boots and gloves. But then, that was what assassins had to wear.   
  
Madam Julia, the head of the College For Young Persons With Deadly Intentions and her personal teacher/mentor, wouldn't have her wear anything else. And arguing with Julia was a one-way ticket to death. Her career was the most colourful of anyone at the College; she boasted having killed many people in positions of authority, and most importantly she managed to stay under the radar. Ryne hoped to be like her.   
  
"Miss Dyer, are you done?" Someone rapped sharply on the door. She quickly pulled on her breeches.  
  
"Almost, ma'am!" She called, and the footsteps receded. Time to face the music. Ryne threw open the door and trotted out to start her training regime for the day.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
It's short, I know, but what could I do with a first lesson like that? More lessons to come, here's a few spoilers:  
  
Upcoming lesson: Kick ass, don't fall on it.  
  
Upcoming lesson: Do not fall in love with your objective.  
  
Disclaimer: This fic doesn't actually teach you directly to be an assassin. It's not my fault if you kill someone.  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	2. Lesson 2: Kick ass, don't fall on it

Merry meet, and welcome back to Assassin School! Read on and review, please!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 2: Kick ass, don't fall on it  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne braced herself, fists up in the ready position. Julia copied her, and there was a second's pause before her teacher lashed out quick as lightning towards the girl's nose with one fist.   
  
Ryne blocked, and followed with a swing towards Julia's unprotected right side, but her teacher grabbed the arm blocking her and twisted it deftly. The student ended up in a tangled heap on the floor. Her teacher smirked as she stood slowly.  
  
"Did you see what you did wrong?" She crossed her arms.   
  
"Yes. I didn't move my blocking arm, leaving you to grab it," Ryne replied sullenly.  
  
"Exactly. Again," Julia returned to the ready position. Before her student was ready she darted in with a one-two combination undercut to the ribs, and Ryne grabbed her fists just in time, getting thrown off balance but recovering quickly by twisting Julia's arms outward.   
  
She pulled forward and brought her knee up to catch her teacher in the stomach but the Master tucked her own legs off and used the knee as a step to springboard off Ryne's chest.   
  
The girl was torn in two ways as her arms were wrenched forward and her chest pushed backward. Julia performed a few backflips before standing upright and smiling cheerfully.  
  
"That time?"  
  
"Should have brought my leg up sideways and closer to you so you couldn't jump up."  
  
"Exactly."   
  
Ryne was learning street fighting. She was already an Adept at hand-to-hand combat but Julia insisted she learn this type too. As it was, Ryne had almost finished her five-year training, and soon her Master would be starting her last lessons.   
  
She would be accompanied to the first five assassinations; once with Julia as an objective as the objective for practice, once with Julia right beside her whispering instructions, once with Julia not whispering instructions, once with Julia hidden somewhere watching her and the last with another member of the teaching staff hidden somewhere watching her.   
  
Ryne returned to the ready position. Julia lunged first, feinting towards her nose then jabbing underneath to her ribs. Ryne caught both fists and swung her teacher into the air (Julia allowed her to do this, and Ryne knew it).   
  
The older woman landed on both feet, but already her student was attacking with a lightning punch to the nose. Julia had time to turn her head and catch it on the cheekbone, but there was enough power in the punch to push her off balance for the instant she closed her eyes to take the punch.   
  
Ryne swung her leg, hooking around her teacher's and drive her to the ground. She pinned Julia's legs with her own boot and twisted her arms behind her back, panting.   
  
"Well done, girl. Now get off me," the Master laughed. Ryne obeyed, stepping back. Julia brushed her clothes off, then looked her student in the eye.  
  
"You've learnt enough. Meet me at the stables tomorrow morning at first light and we'll start your last lessons." She said quietly but with obvious pride. Ryne bowed low and strode from the room, barely able to suppress a grin of happiness. She would graduate by next week.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Second chapter up! Please review! Goddess Bless!  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	3. Lesson 3: Listen To Your Elders

Merry meet and welcome back to Assassin School for the third chapter! Thanking very muchly all the peoples who reviewed my past efforts!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 3: Listen To Your Elders  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne perched on a rooftop, watching as Julia bartered with a street vendor in the busy main street of Corus. She began to move when her teacher started walking again, following for a couple more rooftops. The girl grinned in delight as her teacher strolled into the nearest alleyway; the final stage of her first 'planned assassination'.   
  
She jumped to the street, and stealthily tracked Julia into the alley, keeping always behind some sort of cover and peeking around or over it lest the woman turn around unexpectedly to catch her unawares.  
  
Julia paused to examine an abandoned crate of oranges; Ryne struck. She leapt from her cover in one swift movement and landed squarely on her teacher's back. One hand covered her mouth, the other pinned her arms to her side, her legs slid down and tucked back to cause the older woman to fall to the ground.   
  
Seconds later Ryne had her dagger at Julia's throat.  
  
"Faults, Adept Ryne Dyer. Many faults," the woman laughed. Her student climbed off her and sheathed her dagger furiously.   
  
"Number one, you have not been concealing yourself on the rooftops. Crouch behind a crate or grapevine or don't look so suspicious, girl! I saw you in a mirror I inspected at a merchant's stall," Julia ticked off one finger.  
  
"Number two, avoid mingling with a crowd if you can help it. You are dressed all in black for a reason! Keep to the shadows," she ticked off another finger.  
  
"Number three, when you jumped from behind me just then, a mage would have had time to bring a shield or spell up, and an experienced wary man could have thrust behind with his dagger. Try a subtler approach," another finger.  
  
"And finally, your approaches are extremely by-the-book, and therefore expectable and dangerous! Be more creative!" The teacher ordered her. Ryne hung her head. She would do better next time.  
  
"But I pass you on this test, because your maneuver to get me on the ground was effective, and though you were sloppy, no one from the crowd that I know of saw you," Julia said. The girl smiled and bowed.  
  
"Thank you, Master,"  
  
"It's my job. Now come, throw a cloak over your outfit and we shall proceed back to the quarters," Julia handed her a purple cloak. Ryne trotted behind her teacher and promised herself that in the next test she would plan and think over her actions carefully; she absolutely must pass!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Well? Please review! The more reviews she gets, the better Ryne will do at her next test!  
  
Goddess Bless!  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	4. Lesson 4: Don't Get Mad, Get Better

Merry meet, and welcome to the next chapter!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 4: Don't Get Mad, Get Better!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Two figures shrouded in black crouched on a rooftop at midnight. They were watching a Guard on his horse patrolling the city. He was Ryne's target for that night. It didn't matter if one guard got away and told stories about being attacked; guards were attacked all the time. But a merchant, or noble, that was a different story. They would know someone was after them, and cause an uproar.  
  
"There he goes, follow him," Julia whispered as the man and beast rounded a corner. Ryne leapt over the rooftops like a cat, tracking his process. Every detail came fresh in her mind; which way the wind blew, where her shadow fell, what position the moon was in the sky, where the other guards' runs wound. She felt wonderfully alive and fresh in the night, her mind running sharply.  
  
Julia didn't need to nudge her as the guard inspected a dark alleyway. Ryne leapt to the roof nearest them, and shimmied into position on a balcony behind a bush. She fitted an arrow to her bow, aimed and fired as the man turned around.   
  
Her arrow flew true; the guard fell from the saddle with her bolt sprouting from his eye. But his horse whinnied in terror and shied, galloping down a street to the cries of the other guards.   
  
Julia cursed quietly and dragged Ryne by the elbow over rooftops until they dropped through a window into the academy.  
  
"Are you mad?" Her teacher barked. The girl was stunned. What had she done wrong?  
  
"Master?"  
  
"The horse, fool! Shoot the horse first and either have another arrow ready for the rider or drop to close quarters to kill him so he won't alert the others,"  
  
"Sorry, Master,"   
  
"You should be. Wildmages like Daine could know if the horse saw you, and see you and hunt you down! Assassins are meant to be the hunters, not the prey!" Julia was shouting. Ryne felt her face burn, but kept her chin up and stood at attention.  
  
"It won't happen again, Master,"  
  
"Lets hope it won't, Adept," her teacher glared and stormed out. Ryne waited until the woman was gone before burying her face in her hands and running to her quarters. She would just have to improve, of course. But didn't Julia see how true her arrow's flight was? How attentive she was to every other detail? Ryne would never earn her teacher's respect until she was perfect.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Please review!  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	5. Lesson 5: Keep Your Eye On The Target

Okay, firstly, thanks for everyone's reviews! In answer to your requests:  
  
The chapters get longer from here on.  
  
Tortall-ness coming up! If you want a spoiler... someone we know and love is one of Ryne's objectives. This comes up in Chapter 7, so bear with me for a few chapters. But it is coming! Promising on knees!  
  
Much apologies for those two things!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 5: Keep Your Eye On The Target  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Eyes front!" Julia barked. Ryne snapped to attention, feeling the breeze play across her face as the two stood on the rooftop of the academy.   
  
"After last lesson's mistake, the guards will be on the alert so you will find you target harder this time. Tonight's objective has the Street of Hares run. Permission to start," she declared, and Ryne went. The girl bounded over the gaps between roofs in well-judged bounds, again feeling fresh and sharp. Corus at night was her domain.   
  
Her target was halfway down the Street of Hares, and Ryne fell into a fighter's crouch as she watched him, aware of Julia behind her. This man was on horseback as well, and she promised herself she would not make her former mistake.   
  
The student stalked him down the street, then up into the Emerald Province where merchants slept obliviously in their beds. He must have seen a movement in an alley, because that was where he headed suddenly. Here was her chance.   
  
She chose a low rooftop, and aimed carefully. Her arrow sliced cleanly into the horse's chest and the animal died immediately. Ryne leapt onto the startled rider's back and flipped her dagger to plunge it back towards her into his face. The helm he wore tipped off and her dagger's tip tapped Ryne's leather jerkin as it came out the other side of her victim's head.  
  
"Well processed, Adept. I award you full marks," Julia spoke at last, smiling with the barest hint of pride. Ryne grinned at herself, pulling her dagger free and wiping it on the guard's tunic.   
  
"Many thanks, Master," she said jauntily.  
  
"Don't get too big for your breeches, though. In a few nights time you will have your first real target. I have already picked him; a lower merchant of the dye trade from which your own family flourishes in. Not a large ruckus if you fail," Julia's last words put Ryne in her place. The student faltered, her high-headedness dissipating. If she failed. She would not fail!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne looked apon Curran Dyer's lifeless form triumphantly, waiting for Julia to emerge from wherever she had hid. The man was younger than she expected, but who was worried when she had completed the test?  
  
"Fool!" Julia hissed from the shadows of the room. Ryne looked up, startled.   
  
"The man you have killed is Cieran, the objective's brother! Correct your mistake, Adept!"  
  
Ryne's heart jolted. The wrong man. She mentally kicked herself in the backside, and physically crept over to the doorway and searched every room stealthily until she found and disposed of Curran.  
  
Once back at the academy, the student braced herself for Julia's whiplash of words.  
  
"You must keep your eye on the target! I repeat, keep your eye on the target! Do you know what you did?"  
  
"I did not keep my eye on the target, ma'am!" Ryne barked, staring straight ahead like she had been trained. Julia paced in front of her.  
  
"Correct! You lost the target in the Market of the Cloth, where Curran met Cieran. You lost him because you did not keep your eye on the target! You then saw Cieran, and believed him to be Curran for their similar looks. An assassin must memorise their objective from top to toe, and a real assassin would have realised that she wasn't following Curran. Now, what did you do?"  
  
"I mistook Cieran for Curran, ma'am!"  
  
"Wrong answer! You did not keep your eye on the target!" Julia was shouting in her face.  
  
"I did not keep my eye on the target, ma'am!" Ryne shouted back.  
  
"Next test, I sincerely hope you will to better. Understood?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am!"  
  
"Dismissed," Julia turned away, and Ryne marched out of the door, stinging. She had failed this assignment.   
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter done. Please review!!  
  
Goddess Bless  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	6. Lesson 6: Search and Destroy

Lesson 6: Search and Destroy  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Her final test. Ryne's palms were sweaty. Tonight she would be watched by a different Master, and Julia would wait at the academy for them to return. Her target was Leonard Beader, son of a wealthy bead-maker who lived in Diamond Province, on the Street of Oak. The student received a nod from Julia, and started. She leapt lightly over rooftops, taking the safest route to Diamond Province.   
  
Ryne fell into a fighter's crouch on the roof opposite House Beader, taking cover behind the chimney and watching through a window. Luck was with her- it was Leonard's room. The candle was lit, and her target was reading papers at his desk. During a solid half hour of watching, she saw him slump further and further over his work, then finally fall asleep over it. Ryne took her chance.  
  
She cast a looped rope over the Beader's chimney, tying it off on the chimney next to her, and rope-walked across. That would also serve as an escape route. The student dropped silently into her objective's room and surveyed him for an instant. Drawing her dagger, she placed one hand lightly on the back of his head, then slipped the blade close to his throat.   
  
In one clean cut, it was all over. Perfect. Ryne wiped her dagger clean on Leonard's shirt and slipped back out the window again.  
  
"Gotcha," she whispered, grinning. The assassin cut her rope free from the Beader's chimney and sailed gracefully to the next house, landing squarely against the wall on both feet, then climbing back to the roof and freeing her rope to wind it around her middle out of the way. Ryne took her time getting back to the academy, sure she had done well.  
  
Julia was waiting with a black-clad man when her student dropped through the window.   
  
"Adept Ryne!" She called. Ryne walked over, trying to read her teacher's face. Impossible; she should have known. The man was the same. Well, they were Masters, what could one expect?  
  
"Congratulations, Adept Ryne Dyer. I have passed you with flying colours," the man smiled at last. Ryne, standing at attention, allowed herself a small grin.  
  
"Stand at ease. The introductory ceremony will take place in one week," Julia told her. Ryne obeyed, and took her leave when dismissed.   
  
She was now an assassin!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The next day, she was given time to herself. Ryne went to the funeral of Leonard Beader. Standing around in the street, watching his coffin being brought from the house, she felt terrible sympathy for his crying mother and wife, and his small children standing around their mother in bewildered confusement.   
  
She had brought this apon them. This assassin had killed their father to make her own way in the world. True, Julia had picked him because he cheated his customers many times over, and was having an affair behind his wife's back, but the innocents were the real victims. Ryne watched with guilt as the mother knelt to comfort her children.  
  
"Don't blame yourself," said a voice behind her. She whirled around, and saw the man from last night, her examiner. He nodded and smiled in greeting, and the girl returned it.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked.  
  
"Just because you had a part in it, it wasn't your fault. He was a fraud," the man chose his words carefully, watching the crowd around them.   
  
"I guess you're right," Ryne sighed.  
  
"Of course I'd right. I'm Mischa Arroweye, by the way," he offered his hand, and she shook.  
  
"Arroweye?"  
  
"Assassins get to choose their last name. Didn't Julia tell you?"  
  
"No,"  
  
"Just like her, I guess,"  
  
"Hmm," Ryne thought. What should her name be? She'd be glad to be rid of her old name, 'Dyer', definitely.  
  
"What's Julia's name?" She asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Stonecold," was her answer. Well, it wasn't a surprise!  
  
"Come on," Mischa took her elbow and led her away from the scene after awhile. He bought them hot cider at a nearby inn, and they watched the first flakes off snow fall outside the window.  
  
"I admired your ability walking on that rope last night," he said finally. Ryne blushed.   
  
"Thank you," was all she could say. For once she was very aware of the fact that she was a girl, looking him over discreetly while pretending to stare outside. Mischa was your average tall, dark and handsome guy. Apart from the large scar running from the left corner of his mouth up past his hairline, he was almost perfect.  
  
"What made you decide to become an assassin?" He asked. Ryne thought for a moment.  
  
"I guess it was a snap decision, after my family's fortune was cheated away from them by a single man. I thought, if I could kill him, I would even the score. I still remember his name, and when I get some time off I will be sure to take him down," she told him. Mischa quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"A lifetime's career based on hatred of one man?" he said.  
  
"I guess," she shrugged. Mischa took another sip of his cider.  
  
"Ryne, I want you to take your assignments very seriously. We assassins exist to rid the cities of the villains, not to kill childhood enemies. It could be that your man is a true villain, but it could also be that he was merely doing his job to live and not bleeding your family dry for the sake of it. So be careful," he warned her. Ryne's face burned, and she buried it in her cider. When she resurfaced, Mischa was regarding her carefully.  
  
"I have an early mission for you," he said at last. She looked up eagerly.  
  
"How old are you?" The man asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Nineteen years," Ryne replied.  
  
"Good. Well, could you in your free week before the ceremony, dig up some information about the Head Master?"  
  
"What does that have to do with me being nineteen?" she demanded. He grinned, finishing his cider and standing up.  
  
"Nothing, I just wanted to know. Dig up the dirt on Head Master Larynxa, will you?" Mischa left, looking back at her as he left. Ryne felt his eyes sweep up and down her, and blushed. Her heart was sent into a flutter by this newcomer, and she decided she liked the way it did that.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
I'm trying to think of a good name for Ryne, when she becomes initiated! Mischa Arroweye, Julia Stonecold, Ryne.........?  
  
Review and give suggestions!  
  
Goddess Bless  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	7. Lesson 7: Escape and Evade

Hello to you! I would just like to say thank you to these people for their support and also some suggestions regarding Ryne's name:  
  
Verna Venisa  
  
ER  
  
Ladyknight  
  
'Me'  
  
Fire Mage  
  
ElfKlutz1200  
  
Jowa  
  
AB-scribere  
  
And anyone else I've forgotten, thank you for your reviews!!! Goddess Bless!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 7: Escape and Evade  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne, eager to please Mischa, found out all she could about what the Head Master Larynxa was doing. Larynxa turned out to be a woman of many mysteries. Which meant, the girl didn't find out much. But she did find out that the Head Master didn't have a very high regard of male Master Assassins. Which meant she didn't think highly of Mischa.  
  
Ryne wondered if that was part of the reason Mischa wanted the dirt on Larynxa. It didn't help in her quest that she didn't have any idea what her new friend wanted to find out, either.  
  
Finally the night of her initiation came.   
  
"Have you thought of a name?" Julia asked as she watched the girl nervously tightening then loosening her belt.   
  
"Yes. Silentshadow, do you think it's okay?" She asked hurriedly, ready to think of something else. But her former teacher smiled.  
  
"It fits you. You must make sure you know it well, and be ready to answer to it. That's what everyone her at the academy will call you now," Julia was draped lazily over a low armchair, watching her charge with amusement. Ryne felt ready to snap at the woman for her expression, but reminded herself that she was probably worth laughing over; her belt buckle was probably going to be worn out by the end of the night, and she had brushed her hair more times than the most vain Court Lady up at the Corus Palace.   
  
"Stop fidgeting," her mentor ordered at last. Ryne obeyed gratefully, sinking onto another armchair.  
  
"Now, you know the drill. You'll be an assassin for a few years at least, and if you get good enough, the academy Head Master might offer you a teaching job as a mentor to another Trainee as you were when I first saw you," Julia surveyed her closely for a moment, then graced her student with a rare genuine smile.  
  
"You've done well," she said, grudgingly. It was all Ryne needed. That was the highest praise she could get from anyone, especially Julia. And the woman wouldn't give more; they both knew that.   
  
At last a Trainee appeared at the doorway, his plain blue practice clothes declaring his status. The boy bowed low to them.  
  
"Adept Dyer and Master Stonecold, the ceremony awaits you," he told the floor. Julia nodded curtly and swept out of the room, Ryne trailing behind with the fluttering in her stomach renewed. Her very core seemed to have chills running through it with anxiety.  
  
They stepped through a pair of mighty oak doors into the Grand Ceremony Chamber. Here were performed all the great occasions; welcoming a new batch of Trainees, celebrating the few Trainees that rose to the Rank of Adept, rejoicing when the couple of worthy Adepts rose to Master rank, and acknowledging when a Master accepted the Head Master's offer of a teaching position.   
  
"Step lively," Julia murmured, elbowing her. Ryne jumped, startled, and turned her attention back to the raised dais where the panel of Grand Masters awaited her. But she couldn't help gazing around. So many people... the girl knew that they were here to judge her, to see whether the renowned Julia Stonecold had trained another matchless assassin. Ryne felt about two inches tall; she didn't think that she was as good as her teacher's former students.  
  
Among her students was the mighty Crimson Spider, a woman of formidable talent and almost as good as Julia in her youth. She had also trained Sheba Goldensword, who had risked her life to assassinate the former King of Tyra, and Will Lightningstrike who could complete a mission in record time. Lightningstrike's name did not go down well at the academy however, for fault of Head Master Larynxa's dislike of men.  
  
They approached the dais and Julia laid a hand on Ryne's shoulder. The girl ran her gaze along the row of Grand Masters. She recognised the King of Thieves, making a rare appearance, the famed Grand Master Bloodspill, even Minx Hawkfletch had come!  
  
"I, Master Julia Stonecold, present Adept Ryne Dyer my student to be initiated into the rank of Master," she announced. Head Master Larynxa stood in her place.  
  
"Do you, as her mentor and teacher, declare her competent?" The high woman's voice travelled across the length of the room easily.  
  
"Aye, she's fit," Julia was obviously fighting to suppress a smile as Larynxa frowned. Ryne's teacher didn't like formality.  
  
"Adept, do you accept the rank of Master and the responsibilities it presents?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Ryne managed to say. Her voice seemed a tiny squeak compared to Larynxa's well-practiced boom. The Head Master nodded.  
  
"Very well. Receive the mark of your new station," she turned and acknowledged a young man waiting at a side door, who led Ryne and Julia through to a small room.  
  
"Ready?" He motioned for her to sit on the table, producing a box from a chest in the room. Ryne nodded, steeling herself. The man steadied her and began the painful part of her initiation ceremony; the receiving of a tattooed mark to set her apart as a Master.   
  
Awhile later, Ryne was led back to the Grand Chamber by Julia, resisting the impulse to rub her hurting shoulder. They stood before the Grand Masters again.  
  
"You have received your mark of Mastery; state your new name by which you will be known as," Larynxa now sounded bored, like this was a tedious job she had to do each day.   
  
"Master Ryne Silentshadow," the girl announced as loudly as she could. Larynxa nodded, and the clerk below her noted it on his pad.  
  
"Very well," she looked up at the crowd and raised her arms.  
  
"I present to you Master Ryne Silentshadow!" She called. Ryne let Julia steer her from the Chamber, wearing a relieved grin as she walked amidst the cheers from the crowd. Her teacher took her back to her rooms, where Ryne gratefully fell onto the bed and slept off her nerves.  
  
Master Ryne Silentshadow.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
She crouched on a rooftop, blending with the darkness like the name she had taken that few weeks earlier.  
  
"Fernandez, where are you," she muttered, scanning the windows of the building across from her. Fernandez Tailor was a fraud, and Ryne had been hired through the academy to take him out. The young woman finally spotted him through a top-floor window, snuffing candles in preparation for sleep. She grinned with all her teeth, like a hungry wolf, and stood stretching.   
  
"Time for the kill," she sighed happily. Ryne secured one end of a rope to her post house's chimney, and the other end to the back of her belt with a special clip. She backed along the edge of the roof, dropping a few coils of rope as she went, then readied herself.  
  
She jumped.  
  
The young woman went flying through the air joyfully like a bird until her slack ran out, then was pulled forward. Her arc ended over Fernandez' building, where she slapped the clip at her back to open it and landed lightly on the roof. Pleased with her successful flight, Ryne crouched by the edge of the roof and swung herself over it, gripping the ledge with her fingertips until her toes found holds in the old, crumbling brick.  
  
She was lucky it was only two stairway height's fall; an easy leap for a trained assassin. But she wasn't jumping yet, no. The young assassin manoeuvred herself into position on the window ledge and pried it open with her dagger, then sprung lightly inside.  
  
"Here I come, ready or not," she whispered gleefully, and crept across the chamber. It was easy to tell which room was Fernandez'; he had a candle lit and a faint glow permeated under the door. Ryne pressed her ear to the door. No sound. Perhaps he was asleep? She opened the door quietly and peeked inside. A little girl slumbered in the bed.   
  
Ryne grumbled inaudibly and started to pull the door closed, but as she retreated a floorboard creaked underneath her foot and the young woman winced.  
  
"Sophia?" Someone called from the direction of the hallway. Double cursed! Fernandez must have been patrolling his childrens' rooms making sure they were asleep before he slept himself, for the man was in full dress as he walked around the corner before Ryne had any time to move.  
  
"Thief!" He yelled, drawing a dagger and pointing it at her. The assassin allowed herself time for a disgruntled snort before leaping into the air over him as he rushed at her, and drawing her own dagger to plunge into his back. Fernandez dropped like a stone, yelping once before dying. Ryne extracted her blade with an air of satisfaction.  
  
"Da?" The little girl's horrified face poked around the door. Ryne looked up, and suddenly heard the thumping of feet coming towards her.  
  
"Sorry," she whispered to the child, before sprinting to a window.  
  
"Stop!" Shouts hailed her angrily, but Ryne braced her arms in front of her face and flung herself at one of the floor-length windows that this wealthy family had invested in. She fell amidst the shattered glass to the street below, and rolled once before leaping up and darting down the lane as fast as her bruised and torn legs could carry her.  
  
Escape the shouts; evade the arrows. She must get to the inviting shadow of the alleyway in front of her.  
  
Ryne slipped into the cool, welcoming blackness gratefully. Her first month as a real assassin and she messed up.   
  
But at least they hadn't caught her.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne arrived back at the academy in a sad state. Her cuts were treated, and she lay back in her room with a relieved sigh, only to be disturbed by a knock at the door.  
  
"Master Silentshadow, a note," the Trainee held it out. Ryne took it and dismissed him, opening it eagerly.  
  
'Ryne - Greetings, and congratulations on your Mastery. I have some information that might interest you. A little bird whispered in my ear your next mission. You will be assigned to kill one George Cooper, and take in mind this but keep it secret- he was the former King of Thieves, now retired. The man who wants him dead claims he revealed the secrets of the Rogue to King Jonathan on the hill, and Larynxa believes this story. A tale not true. I have reason to believe that the King On The Hill does know the Rogue's secrets, but will not reveal them to the Lord Provost for he respects George's request that he not, as part of an old and prospering friendship.  
  
Now that you have the information, I ask of you to either deny the mission or inform George of the actions against him when you commence.  
  
Regards,  
  
Mischa.'  
  
Ryne sat back, deep in thought. Mischa wanted her to fail a mission on purpose? But she had to admit, he had a point. And a handsome face, but that wasn't really the point...  
  
She lay back and closed her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep. If Mischa wanted her to do this, of course she would, to please him.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
I think that deserves a review, don't you? If you do, please clicky the button and leave me one!  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	8. Lesson 8: Keep It Professional

Thanks for everyone's reviews!!  
  
In this chapter we have a cameo appearance by our favourite Lady Knight!!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 8: Keep it professional.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne was called to Larynxa's office the next day.   
  
"Silentshadow, I have your next mission," the Head Master barked. The girl braced herself.  
  
"Your objective is one Baron George Cooper, former King of Thieves. He is in Corus for Midwinter, and you will find him in the First Guest Wing in suite 14. Beware, he has the Sight and his wife Sir Lady Alanna the King's Champion has a powerful Gift. And let me make it clear, you have been entrusted with this mission because Master Stonecold believes you are good enough, not because I favour you. You are dismissed," Larynxa's voice was cold. Ryne bowed sharply and marched from the room. Okay. Larynxa didn't like her, and she would betray Julia by failing the mission. Tough gig.  
  
"Master Silentshadow!" A voice called from behind her. She turned, and saw Mischa striding up the corridor. Remembering where they were, the younger assassin chose her words carefully.  
  
"Master Arroweye, hello," she said pleasantly. He grinned.  
  
"Would you accompany me into the city?" Mischa asked. Ryne nodded, trying to restrain her giddy joy at seeing him. Her heart fluttered as he smiled at her, feeling as light as a feather.  
  
"Of course," she answered, and followed him out. The girl wore a plain crimson dress, disguising her finely toned muscles and passing her off as a young city maid to the average eye.   
  
"You got my note?" He asked when they were finally seated over hot drinks in an inn.  
  
"Yes. And you were right. What am I going to do?" She looked at him pleadingly.  
  
"I have a plan. When you leave the academy tonight, leave a little early. In your pack have a dress or something, to pass you off in the palace as a lady taking a walk or something. Go to George's rooms and tell him of the plot to kill him, then get back into your black things and come back to tell Larynxa that he must have been tipped off or something. I will take care of anyone who might be posted to watch you," he was whispering, leaning so close to her that all Ryne could see were his dark eyes. Entranced, she nodded, then gulped and looked away.   
  
"Okay," she murmured to her cider. Soft fingers turned her head to face him and she gazed into his beautiful face.  
  
"Do you think you can do it?" He asked gently, as if speaking to a child. She pulled from his grip, slightly insulted.  
  
"Of course I can do it!" The girl exclaimed a little too loudly, wounded. But her wounds healed when Mischa laughed and grinned at her.  
  
"Good. I'll catch up with you later then," he stood and left, trailing a hand across her shoulder as he passed. Ryne's heart almost jumped out of her chest and it was a few minutes before she could gather the strength to finish her cider and leave the inn.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
That night Ryne left the academy with a simple gown folded neatly in her pack. She hid in a patch of ornamental trees in a garden to change, slipping into the dress and running a brush through her curls a few times. As she was finishing, an owl hoot sounded from the Royal Forest, and she recognised Mischa's signal. All clear.  
  
"This better work," the girl whispered, and lightly ran across the dewed grass to a door, letting herself inside and up to suite 14 of the First Guest Wing. She knocked as loud as she dared. After a few minutes she knocked again, and the door was flung open by a small woman with tousled red hair and a fierce frown.  
  
"Who in the Mother's name do you think you are, knocking on doors at this hour of the night-" the woman raged on. Ryne knew this must be Sir Lady Alanna.   
  
"Please, I need to see George Cooper," she hissed, interrupting the knight's tirade. Alanna paused, considering her sharply.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked frankly.  
  
"My name is Ryne Dyer, I'm- I'm a thief. I need to see the King of Thieves, if you want to see him alive again," she added. The fiery woman hesitated, still watching her warily, then huffed and let her in.   
  
"I'll wake him," she grumbled, and padded into an adjoining room. The girl heard murmurs of conversation and a few groans, then a middle aged man shuffled bleary-eyed through the doorway, dressed in breeches and pulling on a tunic.  
  
"What's your name, and what's this about my life?" He yawned.  
  
"I'm Ryne Dyer, and... there was something I didn't tell your wife. I- I'm an assassin," she said quietly, and expected the yelp from Alanna, who groped at her side for a non-existent sword. George however, fixed her with a stern stare.  
  
"And why have you come?" He asked.  
  
"To warn you that someone wants you dead," she told him. Alanna snorted.  
  
"Coming from an assassin? No duh," she rolled her eyes, confident now that she had found her sword and was brandishing it at Ryne.  
  
"Please, Alanna. Put the sword down," George sounded almost exasperated.  
  
"But-" The Lady Knight was reluctant to part with her favourite weapon, even less reluctant to give up an enemy to point it at.  
  
"If she was the one who wanted to kill me, she wouldn't be here telling me, dressed in a gown no less," he explained. The fierce woman huffed again and slowly sheathed her blade, then crossed her arms grumbling.  
  
"Go on," George told Ryne.  
  
"Well, I was given this mission with no background information, but a source told me it's origins. Someone in the city has come up with the notion that you have told King Jonathan all the Rogue's secrets so he can arrest all the thieves, or kill them or something. That's betraying the Rogue, which means you have to be killed. But my source explained things to me, and so I've come to warn you," she glanced from the former King of Thieves to his temperamental wife and back again, watching their reaction. Alanna gave her the display she was looking for, exploding into indignant cries muffled by the hand George clapped over her mouth.  
  
"Let the nice people sleep, lass," he chided her. She glared at him and abated into muttered insults.   
  
"Now, Ryne, I expect you have planned to report to your elders that I have been tipped off my someone and disappeared without a trace?" George turned back to her. The girl nodded.  
  
"Of course," she replied, returning his smile. The man sighed and stood.  
  
"Alanna, I suggest you change quickly. We're going to have to move fast," he told his wife. The woman stood there gaping at him for a moment, then realised what he'd said and nodded, disappearing into the bedroom.   
  
"Ryne, you have my gratitude. I owe you my life, even though I suspect I'll never see you again," he smiled wryly. She grinned and laughed lightly.  
  
"I'll see you though," she told him, and bowed before waving and slipping out the door. The assassin changed into her black outfit in a little alcove in a wall, and made her way to the entrance she had come in through. From there it was an easy task to get back into the city, darting from one building to another like her namesake.   
  
"Ryne!" A hiss startled her as she rounded a corner. A hand, pale in the moonlight, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shelter of a doorway.   
  
"Good work. You go to Larynxa now. Run all the way back, it'll look better if you're panting when you get there," Mischa's white grin shone in the darkness. She grinned back, and he kissed her lightly on the cheek before pushing her back onto the street.  
  
"Go," he mouthed.   
  
Ryne sprinted lightly back to the academy, and delivered the unwelcome news between breathless pants.  
  
Later, in her bed, she had the time to swoon, remembering Mischa's kiss.   
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Review please! Goddess Bless To All!  
  
~SultanaChicky 


	9. Lesson 9: Don't Fall In Love With An Out...

I am SO sorry! I haven't updated for like, forever! You'll just have to forgive me and accept this peace offering of another chapter.  
  
CHANGED MY NAME to Rebel Hawk.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Lesson 9: Don't fall for an outlaw.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne awoke late the next morning, and threw herself out of bed. She was dragging a brush through her hair when Julia entered her room without knocking.  
  
"Couldn't you remember to knock first?" She grumbled, forgetting for a moment who she was speaking to. Julia's right eyebrow rocketed skywards, and the younger woman's eyes widened in horror. She cringed backwards, but her former teacher just crossed her arms.  
  
"I will forgive you this once, girl, but think before you speak in future, or I will be forced to remind you in the nastiest way possible not to get a swollen head with your new station," was all she said. Ryne breathed a sigh of relief, and set down the brush she had been holding like a shield in front of her. Julia took a seat.  
  
"I would also advise you not to make a habit of deliberately disobeying orders," the middle-aged Master's eyes were twinkling as Ryne whirled to face her again with her mouth gaping wide.  
  
"How did you know?" she accused.  
  
"You aren't the only one in league against Larynxa. There are many who believe her ideals and values for this school are wrong, a sort of hidden army, of which Mischa is one of the leaders," Julia explained.  
  
"And you're another,"  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"So what's going to happen?" Ryne sat down on a pouf and looked up at her mentor's face eagerly, like a dog waiting for some scrap or tidbit.  
  
"Eventually we will overthrow Larynxa, and someone else will become Head Master,"  
  
"I meant now, with the George Cooper agenda,"  
  
"They will search the school to find the culprit who warned him of the assassination. I'm supposed to be interviewing you now," Julia's voice betrayed nothing, and Ryne's eyes widened.  
  
"But of course there's no need for that, now is there?" the woman finished, and a trace of a smile touched her face to calm and comfort her former student, who returned it thankfully. They were sitting in silence when shouts and shrieks of glee filled the corridors.  
  
"Head Master! We found him! The snake! The compromiser!" Julia and Ryne leapt the their feet and burst from the door, to see Masters in red and armed guards dragging a bedraggled and resigned-faced Mischa down the hall. His eyes caught Ryne's and she saw a flash of sadness in them, then it turned to anger as a young Trainee, barely five years old, spat on his shirt. He roared, twisting in the strong arms of his captors, and by catching them off-guard he got one arm free.   
  
Two other Masters and a teenaged Trainee pushed through the crowd to fend off anyone who tried to grab hold of him again, and Mischa quickly tore his other arm free. Within seconds the four rebels had fought their way out, followed by three other Masters, and disappeared down the hall with half the crowd in pursuit. Ryne stared after them. It was no small feat, escaping from three dozen assassins in a crowded hallway, but still they had managed it. Julia looked down at her sadly, but didn't say anything.   
  
They retreated back into Ryne's rooms silently.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Three nights later, she shivered in a cold winter gale outside a townhouse in the city. Dressed all in black, any passer-by would pass her off as a shadow in the lee of the doorway, but to the men inside she was the bringer of news. After the rebels had escaped, a riot had started in the School, no doubt fueled by the members of Mischa's Army (as she had privately dubbed their efforts). Head Master Larynxa was hard-pressed to subdue the people, and all missions had been called to a halt while she tried to sort out the mess. Every day more members of the Army fled, afraid she would find and execute them.  
  
"Password?" A voice hissed from a portal in the sturdy wooden door. Ryne jumped out of her thoughts and leaned forward.  
  
"Hot Apple Cider," she whispered back. The door was opened for her, and Ryne gratefully slipped into the warmth. Half a dozen armchairs and various assorted poufs, cushions and blankets were crowded around the hearth fire in the main room, decorated by men and a few women with drawn, tight-lipped faces. They were all either murmuring quietly to each other or staring into the fire, and all looked up when she entered the room.  
  
"Good evenin', lass," one man said. A woman smiled warmly at her, and a young man beckoned to her with a lop-sided grin.  
  
"Come thaw your pretty bones by the fire, sweetheart," he patted his lap, drawing a few half-hearted chuckles from the merrier people, and unamused glares from others. Ryne shook her head at him, slipping her pack off with a smile.  
  
"Not tonight, Jai," she called, opening the leather flap and reaching in. Out came various items, and more people looked up eagerly.  
  
"Tomi, your cigars," she tossed them to a middle-aged man, who caught them deftly and gave her a grin that was missing more than a few teeth, the rest of which were yellow with tobacco.  
  
"Oranges for Janie,"  
  
"Your dagger, Walder,"  
  
"Ian, I found that book you wanted,"  
  
"Sweets for Meredith,"  
  
"Anton's belt,"  
  
"More socks for you, Dav,"  
  
"Emilina, your brooch," one by one she handed or tossed the trinkets and treasures to their owners, who caught them with smiles and words of praise.   
  
"What news from the outside world, Ryne Silentshadow?" Called a bearded man from a corner. She straightened, tossing a capped inkwell to another youth.  
  
"Larynxa is still trying to sort the riot. The cleverer of us are keeping it going, but it's getting more difficult every passing day. Even Julia doesn't think we can keep it up for more than three more days," she announced. Murmurs of worry coursed their way through the room.  
  
"We need a plan," Tomi raised his voice.  
  
"Aye, but what shall it be?" The woman known as Janie asked around her mouthful of juicy orange.   
  
"It better be good," Ian grumbled. The comments halted abruptly when Mischa stuck his head around the staircase.  
  
"Fear not, good people, I have a plan," he was the only person Ryne had seen who could manage a full smile, like he gave to the room now. People lifted their heads, gazing at him with brewing expectancy and excitement.  
  
"But I must think on it a little more," he finished, to muttered curses, then turned and beckoned Ryne. She followed him up the stairs and into his chambers.  
  
"I cannot thank you enough, Ryne, for being messenger and treasure hunter. Those little things make a big difference to them," he said when they were alone. She shrugged, pleased.  
  
"It's not as if I have anything else to do," she smiled. Mischa stepped closer to her, and Ryne felt her heart miss a beat as she gazed into his dark eyes.  
  
"And thank you also from me, for everything you've done. I asked you to help our cause, and you did so without question, when you could easily have just been good and kept your head down," He was moving closer; all she could see was Mischa.   
  
"Ryne," he whispered, and their lips met. For what seemed like eternity, she felt as if she was floating in paradise, her arms around his neck, and she never wanted to let go. Never.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fluff. I can't write it. It was a short chapter, I know, I'm sorry! But next chapter is the last, and I have free time all this week and next! Maybe I'll start another story when this is finished... any suggestions?  
  
~ Rebel Hawk 


	10. Lesson 10: Never Underestimate Anyone

Ok people, this is the last chapter! Thank all the gods I have finally written it! I'm not sure what I will do next... any suggestions?  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 10: Never Underestimate Anyone  
  
Suddenly a frantic knock came at the door, and the knob started to turn. Mischa and Ryne broke their kiss hurriedly and jumped apart as Julia breezed through the doorway. She took one look at their guilty faces and smiled, one of the rare times Ryne had ever seen her do that. She felt special.  
  
"Did I interrupt anything?" She asked innocently. Mischa scowled and crossed his arms.  
  
"Yes." There was no point in denying it.  
  
"Well, I'll get straight to the point, then. Things have come to a head up at the School, and we need every man and woman present to help fight. I've already sent the bunch of lazy bastards moving from downstairs,"  
  
Ryne smiled to herself as she imagined Julia doing that. The homeless assassins wouldn't have known what hit them.  
  
"Ryne, get a move on," Julia barked, and threw the girl her cloak. The young woman scrambled into it and the three set off at a run, head for the School, where blasts of mage-fire and shouts were already arising. The townspeople of Corus hung out of their windows and doors, mouths gaping, but not doing anything. Ryne knew it was only a matter of time before the City Guards came in their units to disperse the violence, and when that happened they had to hide their skilled assassin training and pretend to be mere cityfolk in a brawl.  
  
They had to kill Larynxa before the Guards came. They had ten minutes, max.  
  
She followed Julia up staircases, hearing Mischa behind her. They pushed passed various one-on-one fights and larger clumps of people joined to take on someone more advanced. But the three ran on, making a beeline for the Grand Chamber, for Larynxa. As they entered the Chamber, it was like entering the realms of Chaos. Fires from mages were everywhere, and the room was lined with bodies, both dead and alive. The live ones were fighting, of course. At the Grand Table Larynxa was holding off various Masters with skill and apparent ease.  
  
Mischa quickly waded into a fight near the doorway, rescuing some half-dead friend of his. Julia leant close to Ryne, eyes always on Larynxa, and pointed.   
  
"Her left arm is weak. She dislocated her shoulder on a mission when she was young, but no-one knows. You attack from that line and distract her, and give me an opening. I'll take it from there," Julia broke away suddenly at a run, and Ryne sprinted to catch up. She came up on the Head Master's left, carefully timing her attack, until she saw the older woman duck to miss a sword-swing from an opponent. Ryne hit hard and fast, jamming her entire weight against Larynxa's left side to catch her off-balance. The tyrant snarled and stumbled, swinging wildly with her blade and catching Ryne in a lucky blow to the temple.  
  
The last thing the young woman saw was Mischa and Julia, working together, and Mischa yanking back Larynxa's head exposing the neck for Julia to slash with her dagger and a wolf-like howl.  
  
They had won.   
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ryne awoke to find Mischa's lips on her own, and smiled. The man felt it and leant back with a grin of his own.  
  
"The city story-tellers tell a tale of a prince waking his beautiful princess with a kiss, and I though I might try it out," he shrugged, smiling playfully. Ryne reached up and brushed a lock of hair from his cheek with a bigger smile, and he leant forward to kiss her again.  
  
"I always seem to interrupt these things, don't I?" A voice sounded from the doorway. They broke apart quickly, to see Julia leaning against the frame, smirking. Mischa sighed.  
  
"You do, don't you," he laughed suddenly.  
  
"I was just checking to see if the girl was up. And you are," the older woman nodded to Ryne, who smiled and nodded back.  
  
"Good morning, Master," she greeted.  
  
"And what a fine morning it is. Mischa, why don't you tell your lady friend what she slept through?" Julia left after smiling again - twice, in as many days! Ryne felt special again, until she remembered the event she had been involved in while earning the sore lump on her forehead.   
  
"Yes, tell me," she struggled to sit up eagerly. Capable hands helped her, lingering a little more than necessary. Mischa sat next to her and she leaned into him as he spoke.  
  
"Well, did you see Julia kill Larynxa? You did. Okay, well, not much happened after that, but the Guards came and broke it all up. We dispersed for a few hours, as the code in that situation instructs, and when we assembled again we found that many of Larynxa's allies had been humbled somewhat by her death and decided to repent and join us again. Those who didn't were taken care of," Mischa's tone made Ryne shiver; she knew in what way he meant.  
  
"Our School is now somewhat smaller. Oh, and I suppose I forgot to mention, we elected a new Head Master," he smiled knowingly at her. Ryne punched him lightly and he pretended cutely to be hurt.  
  
"Are you going to tell me who it is?" She said playfully.  
  
"No. Ha, yes of course! It's Julia," he grinned. Ryne's eyes opened wide and she laughed.  
  
"But she never mentioned it just before!"  
  
"She wouldn't. Julia Stonecold is surprisingly modest when she comes into power,"  
  
"Well, I guess she would be." Ryne relaxed back into his embrace. Mischa leant down to kiss her again, and the young woman knew her new life would be different. Different in a good kind of way. Extremely pleasant. She felt like the princess from the story-teller's tale, and Mischa was her prince.  
  
Then again, what kind of royal couple occupied their time mercilessly creating bloody deaths and getting paid for them?  
  
She reminded herself never to tell Julia about her fairytale day-dreams; it wasn't nice being laughed at.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
All finished! Yay! Would someone PLEASE suggest something new for me to write about? Hmm, maybe I can make Alanna a psychiatrist... who likes it?  
  
~ Rebel Hawk 


End file.
